SHILAP Revista de Lepidopterología ISSN: 0300-5267 [email protected] Sociedad Hispano-Luso-Americana de Lepidopterología España

Jaros, J.; Spitzer, K. A unique tortricid alazon (Diakonoff, 1976), associated with the endemic pine () in the Canary Islands, Spain (: ) SHILAP Revista de Lepidopterología, vol. 33, núm. 129, marzo, 2005, pp. 45-48 Sociedad Hispano-Luso-Americana de Lepidopterología Madrid, España

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SHILAP Revta. lepid., 33 (129), 2005: 45-48, SRLPEF ISSN:0300-5267

A unique tortricid moth Cydia alazon (Diakonoff, 1976), associated with the endemic pine (Pinus canariensis) in the Canary Islands, Spain (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) J. Jaros & K. Spitzer

Abstract

The tortricid moth Cydia alazon (Diakonoff, 1976) was collected by light trapping in the pine zone of Tenerife Island in April – May 2003. At the same time larvae were discovered in cones of Pinus canariensis, from which adults emerged during May. The food plant of C. alazon was unknown until now. The moth is widely distributed and locally common in the pine zone of Tenerife, and P. canariensis appears to be the only food plant. Only several old records of adults were known from Gran Canaria and Tenerife, none with ecological data. KEY WORDS: Lepidoptera, Tortricidae, Cydia alazon, food plant, Pinus canariensis, Canary Islands, Spain.

Un único tortrícido Cydia alazon (Diakonoff, 1976), asociado con el pino endémico (Pinus canariensis) en las Islas Canarias, España (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae)

Resumen

El tortrícido Cydia alazon (Diakonoff, 1976) fue capturado con trampa de luz en una zona de pinares en la isla de Tenerife en abril - mayo de 2003. A la misma vez, fueron descubiertas las larvas en las piñas de Pinus canarien- sis, de los que emergieron los adultos durante el mes de mayo. La planta nutricia de C. alazon era hasta ahora desco- nocida. Esta polilla está extensamente distribuida y es localmente común en zonas de pinares en Tenerife y parece ser que su única planta nutricia es el Pinus canariensis. Sólo algunas antiguas citas se conocían de las islas de Gran Canaria y Tenerife, sin datos ecológicos. PALABRAS CLAVE: Lepidoptera, Tortricidae, Cydia alazon, planta nutricia, Pinus canariensis, Islas Canarias, Es- paña.

Introduction A number of species of the genus Cydia Hübner, 1825, are associated with cones of various pines. The most diverse associations are recorded from North America (HEINRICH, 1926; MILLER, 1959, 1966, 1986, 1990). Only one species, Cydia conicolana (Heylaerts, 1874), is known from the Palaearc- tic region (e.g. RAZOWSKI, 2003). In 1976 A. Diakonoff described as new the species Cydia alazon from the Canary Islands (Gran Canaria), and supposed that this unusual species is nearest to C. astra- galana (Staudinger, 1871). No ecological data of C. alazon were recorded (DIAKONOFF, 1976), but KLIMESCH (1987), who discovered this species in Tenerife, noted that the type material of Diakonoff was collected by light trapping as well. The food plant remained unknown.

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J. JAROS & K. SPITZER

Results and discussion

In late April and early May 2003 we collected 15 males and one female of Cydia alazon (figs. 1, 2) by UV light trapping in localities near Vilaflor (Tenerife), at 1100 m alt., which is situated in the lo- wer belt of the pine zone. Diurnal activity was also observed (three males). At the same time, we also collected a number of cones containing larvae and pupae of suspected tortricids. During early May 2003 eight males and one female of C. alazon emerged from three cones leaving exuviae in characteris- tic exit holes of diameter 1.8-2.0 mm (fig. 3). These cones were collected in the upper belt of Pinus ca- nariensis situated in a volcanic lava field of Teide at 1700 m alt. near “Montaña de las Cuevitas” (fig. 4). During October 2004 fallen cones with characteristic emergence holes were collected in various parts of the highland pine zone of Teide, but no adults were collected in autumn. Other species of Lepi- doptera associated with Pinus canariensis are Rhyacionia walsinghami (Rebel, 1896), Dioryctria niva- liensis (Rebel, 1892) and fortunata (Rogenhofer, 1891), all collected near Vilaflor. C. alazon was the only species of Lepidoptera associated with the infested cones we collected. In this paper, the food plant of the endemic Canarian moth C. alazon is recorded for the first time. It is an interesting island coevolution of an endemic food plant and an endemic moth, which seems to be very ancient with respect to the geological history of the Canary Islands and the evolution of Pinus canariensis (KUNKEL, 1976; BRAMWELL & BRAMWELL, 2001). C. alazon is unusual in that it is taxonomically isolated and not closely related to any other Cydia species feeding in cones of Pinus. The easy diagnosis of C. alazon was noted by DIAKONOFF (1976) in his original description and con- firmed by the illustrations in Figs 1, 2 of this paper. The diverse North American Cydia species associa- ted with pine cones are quite different (HEINRICH, 1926; MILLER, 1959, 1966, 1986). Even in the Palaearctic and Oriental regions it is not possible to find a species of Cydia closely related to C. alazon (see e.g. CLARKE, 1958; DANILEVSKY & KUZNETZOV, 1968; MILLER, 1990; RAZOWSKI, 2001, 2003). We conclude that the island coevolution of Pinus canariensis and Cydia alazon is not only ancient, but that it probably dates from the Tertiary period (cf. e.g. KUNKEL, 1976; JUAN et al., 2000).

Acknowledgments

The laboratory investigations of Cydia species were supported by the Czech Academy of Sciences (Grant S5007015). We are grateful to Dr. Andreas Segerer and his colleagues from Zoologische Staats- sammlung München for figures of the Cydia alazon holotype, and to Prof. Dr. William E. Miller from the University of Minnesota for reading our manuscript. The Environmental Authority in Tenerife, Spain, provided us permission for field investigations of Lepidoptera. We thank Dr. Antonio Vives for the Spanish abstract of our paper.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BRAMWELL, D. & BRAMWELL, Z., 2001.– Wild Flowers of the Canary Islands: 437 pp. Editorial Rueda, S. L., Madrid. CLARKE, J. F. G., 1958.– Catalogue of the Type Specimens of Microlepidoptera in the British Museum (Natural History) Described by Edward Meyrick. Vol. III. Tortricidae, Olethreutidae, Noctuidae: 600 pp. British Mu- seum, London. DANILEVSKY, A. S. & KUZNETZOV, V. I., 1968.– Listovertki - Tortricidae, triba plodozhorki Laspeyresini.– Fauna SSSR, 5(1): 1-635. DIAKONOFF, A., 1976.– New and rare Mediterranean Laspeyresiini collected by Dr. J. Klimesch (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae).– Zool. Mededel. (Leiden), 50(6): 91-105. HEINRICH, C., 1926.– Revision of the North American of the subfamilies Laspeyresiinae and Olethreuti- nae.– U. S. Natl. Mus. Bull., 132: 1-216. JUAN, C., EMERSON, B. C., OROMÍ, P. & HEWITT, G. M., 2000.– Colonization and diversification: towards a phylogeographic synthesis for the Canary Islands.– Trends Evol. Ecol., 15(3): 104-109.

46 SHILAP Revta. lepid., 33 (129), 2005 45-48 J Jaros 14/3/77 18:33 Página 47

A UNIQUE TORTRICID MOTH CYDIA ALAZON (DIAKONOFF, 1976), ASSOCIATED WITH THE ENDEMIC PINE (PINUS CANARIENSIS)

KLIMESCH, J., 1987.– Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Microlepidopteren-Fauna des Kanarischen Archipels. 9 Beitrag: Tortricidae, Cochylidae.– Viraea, 17: 297-322. KUNKEL, G. (ed.), 1976.– Biogeography and Ecology in the Canary Islands: 511 pp. Dr. W. Junk b. v. Publishers, The Hague. MILLER, W. E., 1959.– A unique new North American species of pine-cone-feeding Laspeyresia related to L. in- gens Heinrich (Lepidoptera, Olethreutidae).– Florida Entomol., 42(3): 131-134. MILLER, W. E., 1966.– A new species of moth destructive to pine cones in Mexico (Tortricoidea).– J. Lepid. Soc., 20: 251-253. MILLER, W. E., 1986.– New species of the genus Cydia that attack seeds of Mexican conifers (Lepidoptera: Tortri- cidae).– U. S. Dept. Agric. Forest Service. Gen. Tech. Rept. SE-40: 5-7. MILLER, W. E., 1990.– Body size and diet quality in the genus Cydia (Tortricidae).– J. Lepid. Soc., 44: 113-142. RAZOWSKI, J., 2001.– Die Tortriciden (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae) Mitteleuropas. Bestimmung - Verbreitung - Flugstandort - Lebensweise der Raupen: 319 pp. F. Slamka, Bratislava. RAZOWSKI, J., 2003.– Tortricidae (Lepidoptera) of Europe, Volume 2 Olethreutinae: 301 pp. F. Slamka, Bratisla- va.

J. J., K. S. Institute of Entomology Czech Academy of Sciences Branisovská, 31 CZ-370 05 Geské Budejovice REPÚBLICA CHECA / CZECH REPUBLIC E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]

(Recibido para publicación / Received for publication 16-XII-2004) (Revisado y aceptado / Revised and accepted 31-XII-2004)

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Figs. 1-4.– 1. Male of Cydia alazon (Diak.), wingspan 22 mm, Montaña de las Cuevitas, Teide. 2. Male of Cydia alazon (Diak.) after emerging from pupae, Montaña de las Cuevitas, Teide. 3. A cone detail of Pinus canariensis with exuviae of Cydia alazon (Diak.). 4. Pinus canariensis and lava fields near Montaña de las Cuevitas, Teide - a characteristic habitat of Cydia alazon (Diak.).